About the Book

This century has been marked by the rapid and divergent uptake of mobile telephony throughout the world. The mobile phone has become a poignant symbol for postmodernity and the attendant modes of global mobility and immobility. Most notably, the icon of the mobile phone is most palpable in the Asia-Pacific in which a diversity of innovation and consumer practices – reflecting gender and locality – can be found. Through the lens of gendered mobile media, Mobile Media in the Asia Pacific provides insight into this phenomenon by focusing on case studies in Japan, South Korea, China and Australia.

Despite the ubiquity and multi-layered nature of mobile media in the region, the patterns of female consumption have received little attention in the growing literature on mobile communication globally. Utilising ethnographic research conducted in the Asia-Pacific over a six-year period, this book investigates the relationship between gender, technology and various forms of mobility and immobility in the region. This book outlines the emerging modes of gender performativity that makes the Asia-Pacific region so distinct to other regions globally.

Mobile Media in the Asia Pacific is a fascinating read for students and scholars interested in new media and gender in the Asia-Pacific region.

Reviews

'Hjorth’s book is a terrific contribution to the rapidly growing field of mobile media research in Asia, and one that brings with it a much-needed analysis of gender. One would be hard pressed to find a better-informed or more engaging tour guide into this complex field.' - Kate Crawford, University of New South Wales, 2009

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Price of Being Mobile.Section 1: Mobile Media Societies 1. Locating the mobile: Mobile Communication and Gender in the Asia-Pacific 2. Paradigms of Mobility: Conceptual Tenors for Studying Mobility Today 3. Beyond "The New Rich": Consumption, Production and Gender in the Region Section 2: Mobile Media Cultures 4. Fast-forwarding to the Present: The Rise of Customised Mobile Media in Tokyo 5. Engaging Rings: The Haendupon and Intimate Communities in Seoul 6. Nostalgia Mobility: Memory and the Mobile Phone in Hong Kong 7. Postal Presence: Persistence of the Postal Metaphor in Melbourne 8. Domesticating Cartographies: Gendered Mobile Media in the Region Section 3: Mobile Media Practices 9. Domesticating New Media: A Discussion on Locating Mobile Media 10. The Big Bang: An Example of Mobile Media as New Media 11. On Hold: Reflections on a Mobile Media in the Asia-Pacific

About the Author

Larissa Hjorth is Lecturer in the Games and Digital Art programs at RMIT University, Australia.